ound of the bloody events in Persia, Baha'u'llah not
only told His followers that "if ye be slain, it is better for you than to
slay," but urged them to set an example of obedience to civil authority:
"In every country where any of this people reside, they must behave
towards the government of that country with loyalty, honesty and
truthfulness."(27)

The conditions surrounding Baha'u'llah's departure from Baghdad provided a
dramatic demonstration of the potency of these principles. In only a few
years, a band of foreign exiles whose arrival in the area had aroused
suspicion and aversion on the part of their neighbors had become one of
the most respected and influential segments of the population. They
supported themselves through flourishing businesses; as a group they were
admired for their generosity and the integrity of their conduct; the lurid
allegations of religious fanaticism and violence, sedulously spread by
Persian consular officials and members of the Shi'ih Muslim clergy, had
ceased to have an effect on the public mind. By May 3, 1863, when He rode
out of Baghdad, accompanied by His family and those of His companions and
servants who had been chosen to accompany Him to Constantinople,
Baha'u'llah had become an immensely popular and cherished figure. In the
days immediately preceding the leave-taking a stream of notables,
including the Governor of the province himself, came to the garden where
He had temporarily taken up residence, many of them from great distances,
in order to pay their respects. Eyewitnesses to the departure have
described in moving terms the acclaim that greeted Him, the tears of many
of the onlookers, and the concern of the Ottoman authorities and civil
officials to do their visitor honor.(28)

"THE CHANGELESS FAITH OF GOD..."

Following the declaration of His mission in 1863, Baha'u'llah began to
elaborate a theme already introduced in The Book of Certitude, the
relationship between the Will of God and the evolutionary process by which
the spiritual and moral capacities latent in human nature find expression.
This exposition would occupy a central place in His writings over the
remaining thirty years of His life. The reality of God, He asserts, is and
will always remain unknowable. Whatever words human thought may apply to
the Divine nature relate only to human existence and are the products of
human efforts to describe human experience:

Far, far from Thy glory be what mor